CLASS 5A (by Brian Jones)
The second season of Georgia high school football starts on Friday as round one of the playoffs takes place. This is where the competition gets tougher, as the top 32 teams in the state battle for the most coveted prize in the sport, the GHSA State Championship. Lowndes is the defending champion and is the favorite to win this year. In order to achieve their goal of winning back-to-back titles, the Vikings will have to face Luella, the No. 4 seed from Region 2. … Camden County is another team to watch and the Wildcats will face Creekside in their opening playoff game. … The most interesting matchup is Lassiter traveling to Etowah, as both teams know how to put points on the scoreboard. … 2007 state runner-up North Gwinnett will see if it can have a better ending to its season as the Bulldogs face Brookwood, which is always a team with high playoff aspirations. … Grayson has had its best season in school history so far and the Rams will look to keep the good times rolling when they face county-rival Collins Hill. … Parkview is not the team that they were in the early 2000s but is always dangerous in the playoffs. This year should be no different, and the Panthers face Norcross on Friday.
CLASS 4A (by Ricky Dimon)
It’s playoff time and a new state champion in Class 4A will soon be crowned, as previous winner Northside-Warner Robins is now in 5A. Last year’s runner-up, Ware County (5-5), opens at Thomas County Central (8-2) in a rematch of a 2007 semifinal clash. … Three teams will put undefeated records on the line at home in the first round on Friday. Westside-Macon (10-0), ranked No. 1 in the state, should be able to take care of Glynn Academy (5-5) while Evans (10-0) draws Mt. Zion-Jonesboro (6-4). Sandy Creek could have the toughest time of the three undefeated juggernauts, as the Fighting Patriots (10-0) take on Chamblee (6-4). … One of the most intriguing opening-round showdowns features Sequoyah (9-1) and Region 8 runner-up Clarke Central (9-1). Sequoyah is a No. 3 seed despite going 5-1 in Region 7 play. … Tucker is another team that could have its hands full at home. The Tigers (9-1), who reached the semifinals last season before losing to Northside-Warner Robins 31-28, will take on the Whitewater Wildcats (7-3), who have won five straight games. … Other competitive games—at least on paper—include Apalachee (7-3) visiting Rome (8-2) and Loganville (9-1) hosting Hillgrove (7-3).
CLASS 3A (by Fletcher Proctor)
The first week of the 3A state playoffs offers several enticing matchups and promises some great games in the coming weeks. Region 4 No. 1 Jackson ended the regular season 10-0 and will now face a talented Thomson team that played Baldwin and Statesboro tough during the season. … Meanwhile, in what should be a very entertaining battle of quarterbacks, Zach Mettenberger and the Warriors of Oconee County face the Red Elephants of Gainesville, featuring Blake Sims. The former is committed to play at the University of Georgia while the latter scored three touchdowns last week in a win over Flowery Branch. … Cairo appears to have the easiest route to the final four of all the No. 1 seeds while Region 2 champ Baldwin would potentially meet up for a rematch with Peach County in the second round. … Dunwoody, fresh off a tough slug-‘em-out with St. Pius X, will meet 5-5 Central-Carroll with either North Hall or Hart County waiting in the second round. The injuries Dunwoody suffered will have to heal quickly for the Wildcats to make any noise in this postseason. … Washington County meanwhile has lost two of its last three games and must get focused with Woodward Academy posing a threat to make it three of four.
CLASS 2A (by Corey Mitchell)
The cream of the Class 2A crop starts their quest to the state championship on Friday night with the first round of the playoffs set to begin. The Purple Hurricanes of Fitzgerald are a team that was ranked for most of the season, but they fell twice in their last three games and now have drawn a red-hot Charlton County team in the opening round. Charlton is fresh off a statement-making win over previously unbeaten McIntosh County Academy and could be considered the favorite against Fitzgerald looking at both teams’ recent form. … Pepperell ended the regular season on a sour note, dropping its finale in 28-27 fashion to Calhoun. The Dragons now face a Riverside Military Academy squad poised to make the most of its first-round playoff opportunity. … The prohibitive favorite Buford Wolves will open their postseason with a game versus a Heard County team that is 6-4 on the season. The Wolves are fresh off another perfect regular season and have a favorable draw for going to the Georgia Dome this holiday season. …The other undefeated team in the classification, the Jefferson Dragons, will play the Coosa Eagles in their playoff opener. The Dragons only allowed 11 points per game in the regular season.
CLASS A (by Derek Wiley)
The playoffs begin this week and the best matchups to watch are between the two most contested regions in Class A, three and four. … No. 1 ranked Emanuel County Institute plays the fourth seed in Region 4, Greenville. The Patriots are the best fourth seed in the playoffs. They defeated the second seed in their region, Schley County, 21-20, on Sept. 19, and only lost to the No. 1 seed, Brookstone, 14-13, the week before. A 38-6 loss to Chattahoochee County on Oct. 3 is their only other loss. If Greenville plays like they did against Brookstone and Schley County instead of Chattahoochee County, its game against ECI could definitely get interesting. … Schley County, the second seed in Region 4, plays Johnson County, the third seed in Region 3. Johnson County’s only loss of the season came to ECI, 35-12, on Oct. 17. … The other two games between Regions 3 and 4, fourth-ranked Brookstone against Savannah Country Day and fifth-ranked Savannah Christian against Chattahoochee County, look to favor the higher seeds. Savannah Country Day is 0-3 against playoff teams and lost to Brookstone 35-21 in the second round of the playoffs last season. … Second-ranked Wilcox County and third-ranked Lincoln County should also advance to the second round. Wilcox County has already beaten Seminole County once, 40-0, to open the season. Lincoln County, which plays the fourth seed in Region 8, Social Circle, defeated Commerce 35-6 in its only game against Region 8 this season. Commerce, the third seed in Region 8, defeated Social Circle 21-7.
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